Opening with a smattering of applause from a supposed live concert, the debut record by Tim Heidecker and Davin Wood (co-workers on “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”) wastes little time in introducing listeners to its album-length joke in progress.
So, what’s so funny?
The answer is a consistently spot-on parody of such ‘70s soft rock acts as the Eagles, Steely Dan, and Chicago. While Heidecker and Wood are more popularly known from their work on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim brand, here the pair prove surprisingly proficient at mimicking the radio sounds of yesteryear with tracks like “Right or Wrong,” “Weatherman,” and “She Left You.” In fact, if not for the sometimes nonsensical lyrics many would be hard-pressed to spot the difference altogether. For instance, opening song “Cross Country Skiing” not only boasts pleasant harmonies and gentle acoustic finger-picking, but also features cryptic lines about “rumors in the hills” and “skis that weren’t made for this.”
Watch the video for Heidecker and Wood’s song “Life on the Road” here:
Yet, much like the bands they’re mocking, too much of a good thing can make for some pretty mediocre listening. A running time of nearly an hour hurts matters for one, and maybe if the duo were a little less faithful to their source material they could have packed the disc with a few more zingers instead of lazy synthesizers and horn sections. Heidecker himself has been known to frequently push the boundaries of good taste on shows like “Tom Goes to the Mayor” and “Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule.” This release may very well just be another test of how much his fans are willing to take before they reject what’s offered to them.
Still, according to press materials the only real hope is “that you won’t be able to get these songs out of your head and that one day you’ll be caught singing out loud to yourself ‘you better be fighting what’s right in the world,’ and wonder “what the f**k does THAT mean?”
For the above statement alone, maybe the whole gambit is worth a few letdowns in momentum.
For more information on Heidecker and Wood please visit www.heideckerandwood.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Heidecker-and-Wood.
